


Under Omega

by Vorcha_Girl



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Comedy, Death, Gen, Gross
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-31
Updated: 2015-07-31
Packaged: 2018-04-12 06:05:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4468181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vorcha_Girl/pseuds/Vorcha_Girl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jacob Taylor is up to his neck in shit. Literally.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Under Omega

**Author's Note:**

> _Disclaimer: I don't own Mass Effect_
> 
> **A/N - Jacob and Zaeed go crawling through a sewer. Written as a response to the MEFFW Drabble Challenge!**  
>  **Prompt:** Beneath the City  
>  **Characters:** Zaeed  & Jacob

* * *

 

"You know, its times like this that I wish I had something a little stronger than whiskey," Zaeed grumbled as he retrieved his hipflask and took a long pull. "Some fucking ryncol wouldn't go astray right about now."

Jacob watched the grizzled merc from the corner of his eye and drank a small mouthful of water from his canteen, biting back the automatic urge to point out that drinking alcohol would only dehydrate him and make things harder. The heat radiated out from all sides of the sewer and the oppressive warmth permeated his armour. He felt every bit as disgusting as he probably looked; sweaty and covered in God-only-knew-what, with a pounding headache from the heat.

 _Cerberus_ , he thought unhappily, _isn't paying me enough for this._

If he'd known he was going to spend part of his day crawling through a sewer, he'd have worn something other than his heavy Cerberus armour. But how was he to know that Shepard would order them to find a way into the plague ridden slums of Omega? Let alone that she'd send them down into the sewer!

The sound of splashing drew his attention and a small scaly creature skittered past with a growl. Jacob saw a flash of red eyes and a mouth full of needle-sharp teeth as it brushed by. He shuddered and drew in a breath, instantly regretting it as the stench of the sewer flooded his nose and crept down his throat, choking him. He coughed and spat, trying to draw in shallow breaths through his mouth, but it was too late; he could taste the damned smell.

"C'mon," Zaeed chuckled at his discomfort. "We best keep moving before one of those rats decides to take a bite out of us."

The older man resumed crawling through the muck as though the heat and stench were nothing to him. And maybe they weren't. For all he knew Zaeed Massani was used to scuttling around filthy sewers.

Jacob started crawling again, trying not to notice as some of the warm sludge leaked into his armour and dribbled down his chest. Bile rose in his throat and he pushed it down. He didn't want to guess what might be mixed in with the effluent of Omega in these plague-ridden parts of the city. He refused to dwell on it. It was bad enough that the smell of burning bodies was growing stronger the further they crawled.

"Ah, here we go." Zaeed got to his knees as the sewer opened up. He pointed ahead. "A ladder. There's our way up."

"Finally," Jacob groaned. He blinked in surprise as the merc gestured for him to take the lead, but he willingly moved to the ladder first. "Think we'll meet much resistance?"

The older man shrugged and readied his gun as Jacob got to his feet and took hold of the ladder. "Maybe," he said eventually. "Probably some filthy vorcha scum. Maybe some mercs. A bullet will work either way."

Jacob nodded as he heaved himself up and out of the sewage, shuddering as something thick and wet slid further down his armour and along his skin. He shot up the rungs, eager to get free of the stench and heat. He threw open the hatch, sucked in a breath and was hit by a wave of stench as he stumbled free from the manhole and fell right on top of piled up bodies.

_No, no, no!_

They were swollen and bloated; their skin mottled with rot. Tens of bodies piled up on top of each other right next to the sewer cap. This time there was no stopping the vomit and Jacob spun to the side and violently retched; everything he'd eaten and drunk for breakfast coming back up. Hands on his knees, he stood trembling while he waited for his stomach to settle.

Zaeed pulled himself free, glanced around and _smiled_ at him. "I thought I smelled something," he said conversationally as he took his flask from his pocket and took another drink. "Thanks for going up first."

Jacob spat on the ground as the merc smirked at him; _Cerberus definitely isn't paying me enough for this job._


End file.
